The purpose of this blog is to provide families with precise, up-to-date
information on all of America World Adoption’s programs, helpful
resources and adoption stories. We pray that you are encouraged
by seeing God working in families through the Spirit of Adoption.

America World Events

December 12, 2016

America World China and India staff will be leading 2 free informational webinars this week ("Adopting from China" & "Adopting from India") and there is still room for you to join us!

If you would like details about adopting from China or India, our staff will walk you through the process--from application to post-adoption. Both webinars are free but attendance is limited so reserve your spot before they are full!

December 08, 2016

As our staff, Board members and friends connect with our families today for Day of Hope 2016, we are hearing amazing stories of hope from adoptive families!

One of our Ethiopia families shared that recently went back to the America World Transition home. Their son was abel to reconnect with his nanny and their family was able to assist around the orphanage with painting and other projects while spending time with the children there. They remarked about the positive experience through their adoption and stated that even initially, attachment was not an issue for them. Their son is now in the 4th grade and thriving. The family's older daughter is in college and will be leading a mission team to Ethiopia. The family ended with, they "cannot imagine life without their son.

We would like to invite you to join us on Day of Hope 2016 as we work together to provide hope to orphans through America World's orphan initiatives!

December 03, 2016

America World China and India staff are hosting our final two informational webinars of 2016 on December 13 (India) and December 15 (China) and we would love to have you join us.

If you would like details about adopting from China or India, our staff will walk you through the process--from application to post-adoption. Both webinars are free but attendance is limited so reserve your spot before they are full!

November 15, 2016

As you may know, the U.S. Department of State has proposed new regulations that may significantly impact international adoption. While National Council For Adoption supports some of the themes these proposed regulations set out to address, the impact of these rules is worrisome to adoptive families and adoption professionals.

That’s why we need your voice today, November 15th, for a special Adoption Advocacy Day!________________________________________What’s it all about?

“If adoptive families had any idea of what was going on, I think they would be outraged … We’re so busy just doing paperwork for adoptions that frankly we barely have time to fight this.”– Lucy Armistead, Adoption Professional

We have an opportunity to provide feedback on these regulations. This week, Congress drafted this letter to the Department of State expressing their concerns. In order for this letter to have maximum impact, we need as many Representatives/Senators to sign it as possible!

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Make a difference on 11/15!

During National Adoption Month, help us celebrate adoption by using your voice to create a better future for children living outside of family care. Call your Senators and Representative TODAY and ask them to sign their name to the Congressional letter by Friday, November 18th.

Here’s how to be an awesome adoption advocate:

Step 1. Call your Representative and both Senators. (Yes! All three! Find contact information for your Members of Congress here.)

Step 2. Ask to speak with the person who handles international adoption issues.

Step 3. Make it personal! Introduce yourself and your connection to adoption. Educate the staffer about the Department of State’s proposed regulation changes that will impact intercountry adoptions. Staffers juggle dozens of issues every day, so they may not have heard about these regulations. This is your opportunity to inform and educate! (Here is an example of what to say on your phone call.) Remember staff time is limited, so be clear and concise.

Step 4. Ask their office to sign the congressional letter to Secretary Kerry expressing concerns by Friday, November 18, 2016. They can contact any of the following Congressional offices to sign on:

1. Thank them for talking to you. Kindness Counts! 2. Forward them the letter with written instructions. (See our follow-up email template below!)

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Dial the phone first! Then use social media to boost the impact!

The BEST way to make your voice heard is by calling. It’s easy and only takes minutes! Social media posts are largely ineffective and emails or letters can be overlooked in a mountain of messages. Here are tips from former staffer Emily Ellsworth on how to be an effective advocate, and why phone calls are the best method of communication. Social media is a great way to educate your friends and family about this issue. Get the word out by sharing this Adoption Advocacy Day post TODAY. Tell Congress why adoption matters to you!

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Sample Follow-Up Email

Dear [name of the international adoption staffer],

Thanks for taking my call today! I hope Representative/Senator XYZ will support this letter to prevent the Department of State’s proposed regulations from negatively impacting adoptive families.Join Senators Blunt and Klobuchar and Representatives Franks and Lawrence (the Congressional Coalition on Adoption co-chairs) and others in this important effort to support adoptive families.

Please contact any of the following offices by Friday, November 18th to sign on to this important letter.

November 07, 2016

November is National Adoption Month and this Sunday, November 13th is Orphan Sunday! America World is sharing adoption materials across the country at events like the ONE Conference that took place this past weekend in Washington State, with our Washington Director of Social Services, Leslie Knight, representing America World.

America World is on the road with Casting Crowns to provide families with adoption materials and answer adoption questions. We are grateful for our America World families who volunteer at our adoption table on the tour! The Smith's (above) joined us at the Woodstock, Georgia concert over the weekend. Thank you, volunteers!

Join us tomorrow morning (October 29) at 11:30 AM Eastern time as we spend some time with Mark & Melanie Hall of Casting Crowns on Facebook Live on America World's Facebook page. You will hear about the Hall's adoption from China through America World and maybe even a Q&A session.

Add it to your reminder list now and plan to join us live from "The Very Next Thing" tour live from Fort Wayne, IN!

October 25, 2016

The 2017 America World Calendar Contest deadline is only 3 days away! All America World families are eligible to enter the annual contest but photos must be received no later than this Friday, October 28th.

13 photos will be selected as "cover" photos (front cover + 12 month covers) and dozens more will be highlighted throughout the calendar!

October 17, 2016

Casting Crowns was in College Station, TX on Saturday night and these great America World volunteers shared information with concert-goers at Reed Arena (Texas A&M). Thank you to the Leggio family, the Woodard family and America World Social Worker, Beth Primm, who represented America World at this concert!

Want to volunteer for America World at an upcoming concert? We still have a few volunteer openings at the following concerts/cities. Email Mike.Stone@awaa.org to learn more. Volunteer openings are available to all America World families!

October 14, 2016

On Orphan Sunday, churches in 80 nations invite Christians to welcome children in need

With 427,000 children in US foster care and 17.8 million worldwide who’ve lost both parents, thousands of churches will echo a united message across 80 nations on Orphan Sunday 2016. Spanning languages, cultures and time zones, on November 13 Christians worldwide will celebrate God’s special love for orphaned and vulnerable children – and what ordinary people can do to put that love into action.

Special events, prayers and activities on Orphan Sunday invite individuals to consider adoption, foster care, mentoring and/or support for orphaned children around the world.

The Impact of Growing Up Without a Family

In the United States, there are more than 425,000 children in the foster system today due to abuse and severe neglect. About one quarter have been permanently removed from their parents. To For these children, the wait for a family often exacerbates trauma the child suffered in their own home. Every year, more than 20,000 “age out” into adulthood without a permanent family.

Foster youth face immense difficulties. Children aging out of the system without the support of a family are far more vulnerable to traffickers, prostitution, homelessness and a host of other ills. A 2013 human trafficking raid by the FBI found that 60 percent of child victims came from foster care.

Globally, an estimated 17.8 million children have lost both parents, and countless others live in orphanages or on the streets due to abandonment or abuse. Like foster youth, these children face dramatically increased risks of human trafficking, hunger, disease and other ills. A study in Moldova found that girls who grow up in orphanages are ten times more likely to be victims of human trafficking than other young women.

Seeking to change these numbers, faith communities across a wide range of Christian denominations unite on Orphan Sunday to challenge churches to be an answer for these children. If every church in America adopted just one child from foster care, there would be more families waiting for children than children waiting for families. More information and statistics state by state can be found here.

For materials and event ideas specifically for children in foster care, visit www.standsunday.org.

Children praying for children

To encourage even more participation this year, churches will be encouraged to share the newly released children’s story Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn during children’s services. Based on a true story, the book chronicles the impact that can be made when large numbers of people work together for a single cause. Proceeds from the book will help fund the National Foster Care Initiative. The book and an accompanying prayer guide for children and family devotional will be available beginning November 1, 2016.

Thousands of events worldwide

The national Orphan Sunday campaign, led by the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), has helped grow this vision. More than 800 local Orphan Sunday events took place nationwide in 2015. The campaign aims for more than 1,000 events, in 2016, across America on the second weekend of November. A list of Orphan Sunday events is available here: https://cafo.org/orphansunday/check-in/

“The size of the need can feel paralyzing. But Orphan Sunday reminds us of the single statistic that matters more than any other,” said Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. “Whether through adoption, fostering or mentoring, just one caring person or family can change the life of a child forever.”

The website www.orphansunday.org serves as a hub for the campaign, offering event ideas, downloadable materials and ways individuals can partner with orphan-serving organizations to hold local events. The first Orphan Sunday was held in a small church in Zambia, Africa, where the local pastor urged his church to share what little they had with local children who had been orphaned by AIDS. The church responded with immense generosity, and some even removed their own shoes as gifts for orphans. In 2009, American churches began following Zambia’s example. The idea of helping orphans quickly spread around the country and eventually the globe.